Water testing and treatment: why you need to be sure what’s coming out of your taps

Water is a resource so many of us take for granted – in our homes, gardens, places of work and leisure we’re so used to opening a tap and having clear water come out that almost all the time we don’t wonder about how pure that water actually is.

Regular water treatment and testing is a vital part of maintaining a healthy building (whether residential or commercial)

Without this, there are a number of risks and impacts that can affect people and the environment.

Water purity and humans

Poorly treated or impure water can carry a number of harmful elements and pollutants including nitrates, pesticides, metals, bacterial elements, waste products and other harmful parasites that can severely increase the risk of health issues such as:

Bacterial infections

Sickness, vomiting and diarrhea

Hepatitis A, Cholera, Botulism, Typhoid, Dysentery, Polio

Increased risk of certain cancers

Heart problems>

Asthma

Alzheimer’s Disease

Water purity and the environment

Untreated water can make its way into the ecosystem, with negative impacts on lakes, rivers and ultimately the ocean which can harm wildlife and flora.

By increasing the quality and use of treated water in our homes and businesses, we are not only able to reduce the amount of wastewater we release into the environment, but we are also able to reduce the amount of bottled water that is bought and consumed, and thus the number of plastic bottles that need to be produced and discarded.

How water screening and treatment is carried out

The primary method for screening/testing water involves:

Sampling from a number of outlets including water tank, showers and random hot and cold taps within the premises

General bacteria scans from random outlets

Treatment methods include:

Reverse Osmosis – a series of filters that remove impurities>

UV purification – Ultraviolet rays penetrate the parasites within the water and destroy them

For water screening and Risk Assessments to meet ACOP L8 requirements on your system and premises, contact Burwell Maintenance today for expert assistance.